Closed The Ballet of Blades Open Unofficial Modded

Open to interactions! @Kaitlyn Connor
Skill level: Novice
Action: Sage loses her balance and falls to the side of the lake.
Stats: STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6

january 6th 2023; interacting with @Pericles Dralt

How was she supposed to take off again? Alyssea turned backwards to start her jump. Her palms grew hot and she could feel the sweat between her fingers. It took many split second decisions juggling 'do it' and 'don't do it' before Alyssea finally decided on 'don't do it', turned forward and took another circle around to get her momentum. She chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, bit nervous."

Turn backwards, swap the leg, use the toe pick to take off and boom. I can do this. Alyssea started off again, turning around and looking over her shoulder. With a deep breath, she took the leap.

And leapt she did as she landed on her blades almost perfectly. Alyssea broke out of the landing pose almost immediately and cheered, the sudden change in balance almost toppling her. She sighed in relief. "Okay, that was kinda scary. But I did it! How was it?"

She placed her hands in her puffer jacket's pockets. Gloves, how could she have forgotten to wear those? Then again, gloves weren't her favourite thing in the world; they were itchy and she preferred to feel everything directly. That mindset was coming to bite her now with the cold. Alyssea looked around and watched as other people skated.

Skill Level: Adept
Action: skating around, balancing as she watches everyone, at a steady pace
Stats: sta 6 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 8 | arc 6 | acc 8
Abilities: Prodigal Transfiguration Learner | Evasive Maneuvers I

Interacting w/@Alyssea Brown. Headed towards @Sage Lilly next round

As Alyssea took an extra lap to build her confidence, Peri passively followed after, patient as ever. Her apology and anxious laughter was met with one of those serene smiles. "It's alright. Take your time, but don't be afraid. The worst that can happen is-" well, what happened to another unlucky skater, Sage. Pericles winced, breathing a low "Oof" as the girl slid, mistaking the pink in her face for pain. Feeling a sense of obligation to his clubmates, the Ravenclaw resolved to go check on her, but not until he'd had a chance to see his skating protege take off. His keen eyes were fixed on her blades as Alyssea finally took the leap, lighting up as she gracefully maneuvered the jump. When she turned towards him, she would find his default smile replaced by a broad grin.

"Excellent form, Lys." Pericles skated up alongside her again, hands folded behind his back, expression warm with pride. "I suspect there isn't an awful lot left to teach you at the rate you've improved. I'm going to check on someone, but I'd like to show you a jump first. I wouldn't recommend this one until you've polished your stop. It's called an Axel jump: a leap and a spin, usually between one and three turns. I'm going to try for a double. It'll take a bit more speed to pull off, since the spins call for momentum."

Pericles scanned the others skating, trying to determine who was headed where, minimizing the possibility of a messy collision. The ice was getting crowded; best to pull this off before it ran out of the necessary space. Once he was (moderately) confident in his runway, he pushed off, taking a risk and picking up speed. Playing things too safely would suck all the fun out of it. The Ravenclaw might have been something of a perfectionist, but that was better saved for class and duelling.

Outfit

Skill: Expert

Action: Double Axel Jump

Pace: Fast

Reducio

﴾ Stamina - 10 | Evasion - 12 | Strength - 4 | Wisdom - 11 | ArcPower - 10 | Accuracy - 14 ﴿
Perfectionist, Perfectionist II, Keen Eye, Spell Spread, Animagus

Astra saw one snowball hit Anti square in the face, and the other whiz just by. She chuckled softly. Wait a bit. She heard a voice and a someone beside her. Astra glanced over and recognized her Gryffindor cousin with a pet owl by her.

“Afternoon, Raizel,” Astra said cheerily. “I didn't know you had an owl.” He was a pretty thing, too. As most owls were. Astra liked the birds, so majestic and smart. Hermes apparently liked him too, trotting over to Raizel and purring inquisitively.

Astra turned her gaze back to the ice, watching minor fiasco unfold. Piérre’s entrance was certainly… interesting. Quite humorous really.

Astra prepared another snowball, tossing it lightly up in the air as she debated who to hit. She didn't want to get anywhere near Alyssea or Pericles, since they looked to be doing some cool and technical skills. She figured Anti could wait a bit longer before another snowball came her way. Speaking of Anti…

“Why is she so far out?” Astra muttered, slowly getting to her feet. A small piece of her mind was amazed she had thrown a measly little snowball so far, but the majority of her was blaring alarms. The ice must be dangerously thin out there, and wasn't there a giant squid?!

“Raizel… don't you know that Ravenclaw out there?” Astra asked, pointing. “The one in the middle of the lake.” The younger girl thought she remembered her cousin interacting with that one. “Is she stupid?”

⋄ January 6th, 2024, Mid-morning | Great Lake ⋄
⋄ Interactions: @Astra Norrick (Against my will) | Mentions: None ⋄

𝓗er Grandma Vera had always liked to joke that, long before Bex had learned how to walk, she had first learned how to run. The sentiment had always puzzled her more than anything, but in this moment she finally understood it. Whether it was luck or some sort of latent innate skating talent, she'd successful made her way out to the center of the lake without so much as a single trip or tumble along the way. While she felt no small amount of pride from that, her time to enjoy it was destined to be mercilessly short.

As she neared the middle of the lake, her speed almost became her downfall as the momentum of her upper body almost pulled her legs out from under her. She angled her skates on instinct, though, and just managed to bring herself to a steady, if dirty stop, with the blade of her skate causing an almost snow cone machine-esque effect on the ice. It was actually pretty cool, watching the ice and snow form a graceful arc in the air at the behest of her skates, and she couldn't help but wonder if she could somehow figure out how she'd done it and recreate it, perhaps with a bigger snow wave this time.

She wouldn't get the opportunity; the ice below her moaned, deep and foreboding like the final death rattles of a wounded animal. She paused, her blood suddenly chilled as if the ice had cracked and given way underneath her, as understanding slowly gave way to fear. Her fancy stop had been very cool, but it had either weakened the ice she was now standing on, or the ice had never been sturdy enough to begin with. It was suddenly imperative she leave this part of the lake, right now.

She didn't have a ton of options; she'd need to try skating slowly and carefully back to the shore, which was particularly daunting seeing as she wasn't entirely sure how she'd managed to make her way out here in the first place-

There was something underneath the ice.

When the blades of her skates had kicked up the snow, it had revealed the translucent ice underneath, blackened by the dark, semi-obscured water of the lake that was sleeping beneath it. She hadn't thought much of it at first, because at the time there hadn't been anything there for her to think of. But there was definitely something there now.

It was almost too big for her to understand what she was looking at. Or really, what was looking at her, as the single, giant eye that was visible to her was locked directly onto to her, as both she and the creature beneath the ice became suddenly, mutually aware of the other. The giant squid.

She had no time for her severely broken fight or flight response to kick in, as no sooner had she realized what exactly it was that she was looking at, something came flying at her at high speed and smacked her in the face, and the sudden pain that flared up in her jaw was somehow less upsetting than the cold wetness that was now dripping down her neck. She swore, trying to wipe the snow out of her eyes while simultaneously moving her jaw back and forth to try and ease away some of the pained tingling. Where the hell had that come from?

The ice beneath her once again groaned ominously. Looking down, the squid appeared to be long gone, but the looming threat of weakened ice was still very much there. Also, there was apparently a very real, very confusing threat of someone trying to assassinate her. As much as she'd like to investigate the creature she'd seen, Bex wasn't stupid: in order to go squid-hunting, one had to be alive enough to do so. Fearing that the ice would break underneath her should she try and skate away from it, she instead attempted to slowly step backwards away from it. Only, she somehow had far less success in this endeavor than she had when she'd been skating at Mach 5, and had hardly taken two steps when her skate slipped out from underneath her, and she fell backwards, landing hard onto the weakened ice.

Action: Bex falls on her ass.
Skill Level: I guess Bex is falling at a Novice skill level, I don't even know anymore.

OPEN to interactions with anyone I've interacted with IC before. All others, please owl or dm me on discord first. Please note that I am currently going down a road that you may not want to follow.

sta: 8 | eva: 3 | str: 7 | wis: 4 | arc: 6 | acc: 7
Abilities: Perfectionist

@Avery Leveret, @Maria Dee, @Fang Hui-Ying, and @Wren Mornstern

Her eyes traced over the hairline fissures she carved out in the ice, narrowing in on the high she so desperately craved. Her hunger was subtle, but it was there; a relentless, gnawing thing, that could only be satiated once she caught that cursory thrill. It was nearly in her claws, she needed only a few moments more. She never stopped moving while she nonchalantly observed the Leveret boy; her stare being the only thing that was motionless. There was something shark-like, perhaps, to the way she laid out laceration over laceration across the glassy lake surface, as if she were part of some hushed feeding frenzy; and young Avery was the unfortunate subject of interest.

There was something precious in witnessing beings explore a foreign task. Something sacred. It was with something new, one had the privilege to witness the human mind at work in its purest state. Curiosity and wonder came in bounties, uncertainty was present in its most absolute, undiluted form. Then there was the little spark to jumpstart the machine; the idea that maybe, just maybe, you could do this; right before the grand leap. And yes, even Leveret- that uncanny, crepuscular, boy- was precious as he made his first great venture onto the ice.

Up until he opened his mouth, that is, reminding Xailah that this was the same little scamp who had propositioned her in the school's basement.

What was one small step for Avery, was also quite possibly one tragic leap for studentkind. Still moving, Xailah spied a few students nearly hit each other in her peripheral. They were fine, but talk about a close call. Avery kept her interest for the moment as he teetered himself into a stationary position... almost.

Despite his incredibly confident declaration that skating was easy, the uneasy waver of his body offered to differ. It was from that claim, where most of the felid lady's levity would be summoned. The little Leveret fancied himself a natural on the ice, did he? A bold statement to come from someone who hadn't even begun to skate yet. "Oh, that is only the first hurdle. Standing isn't the hard part!" Xailah's eyes narrowed at the lamb-legged boy, reflecting unheard laughter. "Keeping yourself standing, however... -Well, I'm sure you will find out soon enough." There was no thrill in learning a new skill if she went and spoiled all the fun ups and downs that came with it.

The edge of the lake seemed a popular spot for peers to congregate; the snowy fray would attract the attention of two students: one Xailah knew well from a shared time on the Gryffindor racing team, while the other (Maria Dee) was recognized as a student seen frequently in passing. Timid little Ying would be welcomed with a warm greeting- a stark contrast from the way she regarded Avery. There was, mayhaps, an unspoken motherly dynamic there, that the elder felt for her junior lioness. "Miss Ying," she gave the girl a gentle nod, dismissive of the child's tentative demeanor (and therefore totally unaware of the idea that admiration had rendered the girl meek), "lovely seeing you here. I did not know you skated." The other student, whose name unfortunately escaped Xailah, was issued a silent look while the metamorph tried to place her. But, after a moment, the girl was given a courteous smile. "Hallo, I believe I have seen you around before, but I don't think we have had the pleasure of meeting casually."

Perhaps it was karma for all her misdeeds belatedly catching up, the universe possessing a sick sense of humor, distraction by the new arrivals, or maybe it was just unfortunate footing; but somehow, some way, Xailah would find herself on the ground, her body contacting the ice with all the density of a bird hitting a window. At some point in the passive back-and-forth with Avery she had stopped skating to reangle herself for a better and faster takeoff, still hunting for any reserves of adrenaline she could greedily sample from. If she had to guess, she had turned too sharply, resulting in the sudden upset; but even then, she wasn't all too sure where she had gone wrong. Even the most graceful of cats had their moments when nimbleness failed them, and Xailah was no exception.

Pain did not find its way into her expression, despite having felt some. The most she conveyed in response to the downfall, was a single disappointed, "Damn." Soft and quiet, unlike her descent. Like the tail of a phantom, the high she latched to slipped through her fingers; leaving the electricity in her chest to dissipate with an unsatisfying fizz. You were so close too, she cursed wordlessly, momentarily closing her eyes to the world.

When she opened them again, her hazy golden gaze would lock on to Avery once again. He really could have done without the commentary. If he had just gone on his merry little way, Xailah would have paid him no mind. Make no mistake, all her nudging at him had been done out of genuine curiosity. There was no intended mischief or hassling to back her words, catty as they seemed. "Passen sie auf, wie sie vorgehen, Leveret." "Watch your step, Leveret." That on the other hand, was most definitely a taunt. Or perhaps, (more appropriately) a curse of sorts; made to will the fates into enacting a counterstroke. It was unwise for one to poke leopards when one was only in possession of a short stick. And what Avery Leveret was working with, hardly qualified as a decent walking stick.

She had no interest in pursuing the young man; alternatively choosing to watch from where she had fallen as he wobbled off into the distance. She had her fun with him, now the universe could take over. Rolling back until she felt the back of her scalp meet ice, she pressed herself flat against the opaque looking-glass. She displayed no urgency, seeming to instead take in the slow, chilly sensation running its finger up her spine to the base of her skull.

She'd remain in that stock-still position even with the interest she garnered from other skaters. The older girl who had stopped to say "hello" tailed off toward Avery, with what may have been revenge, on her mind. Little Fang Hui-Ying, and another child who looked to be around Ying's age, sought Xailah's audience. Concern from her junior racer touched Xailah deeply but she was quick to brush it off, not wanting to potentially worry the girl. "Never better, Miss Ying. Just admiring the view of the sky." She shot the girl a small, tight-lipped smile. The fall had hurt a bit (despite suffering far worse in the past), but Ying and her new companion needn't know. "But I appreciate your concern."

Parting her attention from the girls, she stared dreamily at the unfurling of ashen clouds encapsulating the winter wonderland. "You know, it's actually rather lovely from down here." That was truth, despite also serving as a diversion from her restful state on the ground. The younger of the two cubs (Wren) would make the smart observation that she and Xailah shared the same house, to which the latter would nod in affirmation. "You stand correct in both of your observations. I am a seventh-year, Gryffindor." Stirring a little, she lifted her hands to the sky with an inquiry. "Could I bother one of you into giving me a han-" Just as she sought assistance Ying appeared to lose balance, while the other cub's footing was completely knocked out from under her. Off in the distance, Xailah would see the older badger from before suffer a similar fate, as consequence of her vigilantism. "-or perhaps not."

Never one to stay down too long, Xailah took those three mishaps as a sign to get moving again. With no one else around at that moment who was capable of helping, she was on her own. So she propped herself up, her back notably numb from the cold. Gloves aided in preventing slippage while she braced herself against the ice with the palms of her hands, managing to lift herself into a position that allowed her to regain her footing. She was back in the game in no time.

The first thing she did after recovering herself, was check on Ying. Her stumble, while not as dramatic as the other girl's, still looked to be just as painful- if the way she rubbed her leg was anything to judge from. An often subdued instinct to nurture immediatley kicked in, as she lowered herself a little closer to Fang's height. "Are you alright? Nothing broken?" A direct answer was not needed from the girl, because she immediately made sure that everyone knew she was just fine- Avery especially. A soft chuckle rose from the metamorph's chest as she caught the tail end of Ying's frustration. "Tell him, Ying." If there was one thing Leveret seemed to know how to do effectively; it was ruffle feathers and fur.

Carefully sculpting out a path towards the fallen cub (Wren), Xailah would reach both hands down to the girl in a slight grabby motion, indicating they were meant to be taken if she desired the assistance. Looking between both of the lionesses, the elder would offer them a cheeky little squint. "Should either of you find yourself crossing paths with Mr. Leveret on the ice later, a sharp swerve in his direction should give him a good spook. Not that I condone such vengeful roguery-" A quick jut of her head was issued in the direction she had last seen the boy go. "-Not while I am looking, anyway." What either of the girls would do with that suggestion was entirely up to them at that point- not that the children around here needed assistance with getting up to hijinks.

Xailah would leave the two girls with that little idea, having identified another matter that needed tending to. Moving at a slightly slower speed than the one she had assumed pre-fall, she would slither her way over to the fallen Maria. "A hand, Miss?" A slender gloved hand would be extended toward the badger, palm open and beckoning. "So long as you do not speak of it; I did not see that. Therefore, the tumble did not happen."

Helping Wren, and Maria up (if they desire the help). Moving around at a fast pace.

Skill Level: Adept; balanced and nimble, she can still get her groove on, but you won't see her doing many flips on the ice.

Stats:

Reducio

Race: Metamorpmagus (-5 wisdom DC for transfig spells, +2 stealth, 50% chance to recognize transfigured characters)
Abilities: Cat's Grace, Blind vision.

Stam- 12 | Str- 2 | Eva- 17 | Wis- 16 | Arc- 4 | Acc- 16

Open to interactions!